The Fork-tailed or Pacific Swift is a fairly
large (18 cm) swift which is blackish above with a white rump, long
sickle-shaped wings and a deeply forked tail. It is dark brown below, with
whitish fringes to the breast and belly feathers and a grayish throat.

The Pacific Swift occurs over a range of
habitats including lowlands around human habitations and over mountain
forests. It is seen in small to large flocks, including mixed flocks with
other swifts, feeding on a variety of flying insects captured on the wing.
The Pacific Swift makes buzzing and twittering sounds and long, high-pitched
squeaks.

The nest is a half-cup of vegetable matter
glued together with saliva, placed within a fissure on a cliff, in a cave,
under a bridge or under the eave of a building. The female lays 1-3 eggs,
and both parents participate in all parental duties.

In Taiwan the Pacific Swift is a common
summer resident.

References: Handbook of
Birds of the World Vol. 5; A Field Guide to the Birds of China (Mackinnon
and Phillipps); 100 Common Birds of Taiwan
(Wild Bird Society of Taipei)